A Cracked Foundation
by Cass914
Summary: As the events of Civil War take place, follow Ariadne, Steve, and our favorite Avengers through the trials and see just how much of an impact these struggles have on their relationships. Can the team survive, or will this tear them apart from the inside? Sequel to "From the Rubble"


"Alright, what do you see?" Steve asked, moving towards the window to peer down to the crowded street below. The team had just arrived to their newest mission, hoping to track down Crossbones and his team.

"Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target," Wanda stated into her headset, taking a sip of her coffee from her location at the café. As she looked around, she nodded towards Natasha, acknowledging her team members' location and watching her back.

"There's an ATM in the south corner, which means –"

"Cameras. Means our guy doesn't want to be seen," Ari cut off Steve, entering the surveillance space Steve had set up. As she approached the window where he is standing, Steve reached an arm out towards her, pulling her closer to him by the waist. As he was leaning in to greet his girl with a kiss, they were interrupted by Sam's voice on the radio.

"Things got awfully quiet up there, guys. Don't make me fly down there," Sam chimed in.

"We've got our eyes on the target, Sam. Natasha, are you seeing anything we are missing?" Ari asked, peeking out the window down towards the street.

"Sam, can you take a look at that garbage truck that just passed me? Something doesn't seem right," Natasha began, slowly moving from her place at the café, gesturing for Wanda to follow in case things went south. As Sam zoomed his sights in on the truck from his rooftop position, he became concerned at the truck that his teammate had identified.

"Got an X-Ray…. It's loaded for max weight, and the driver's armed…"

At this statement, Natasha and Wanda began to run towards the facility they were meant to guard, as Steve and Ariadne turned to each other in realization.

"It's a battering ram…" Ari breathed out.

"Go now." Steve stated over the radio, grabbing his shield and running out the door into action. Ari began grabbing her gear and was close to follow. Steve turned to her on the stairway, concern in his eyes.

"Ari, are you sure you don't want to just stay here during this one—"

"Steve. If I feel like I can help you guys, I'm going. You know that. You have to trust that I can take care of myself. I've had a good teacher," she pointed out, placing her hand on his shoulder. From her position two steps above him, she leaned down, placed a kiss on his cheek and then pushed past him, continuing down the stairwell.

"Come on, super soldier. The battle isn't gonna wait for you!"

Steve looked stunned after his smart, brave gal, and with a small smirk on his face mumbled a quiet "yes, ma'am" to himself before continuing down the stairway after her.

As they reached the battle, Steve went into the building, Wanda clearing the gas and the path to clear the way for the super soldier. Natasha and Sam were already fighting on the ground level, and Ari took to clearing as many civilians from the ground and surrounding buildings as she could, occasionally stepping in to help Natasha and Sam take down a guy or two. As Wanda finished clearing the gas, she noticed a figure step out of the building. The same group caught Ari's attention, and the two women locked eyes.

"He's here," Wanda pointed out to the team.

"And it looks like he has the biological weapon," Ari added, noticing the briefcase in his hand.

"They're splitting up," Natasha noticed, "It's a shell game."

"Alright, everyone take one of the groups. One of them has to have the weapon," Steve began, "Sam, take the high road. See what that X-Ray vision of yours can do. Wanda, be careful not to use your powers too much. One slip, and that weapon is released. Natasha, keep an eye on Rumlow until I get to the ground."

"And what about me?" Ari asked, annoyed that Steve was once again sacrificing the good of the mission in order to keep her out of the fray.

"Just stay safe," Steve responded, realizing that no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to keep her out of the fight.

As the team split up to find the biological weapon, they were pulled paper-thin. Wanda felt helpless, unsure what was safe to do without creating an even worse situation. Sam was unsuccessful in identifying the weapon from his vantage point, and Natasha's first two men were empty handed. As Ari waited for Steve to arrive on the ground, she noted Rumlow getting into a nearby vehicle. She knew that Steve would be unhappy with this next move, but she'd be damned to let this man get away with something as dangerous as this weapon.

As she moved towards the car, as stealthily as possible, one of Rumlow's men grabbed her from behind.

"Boss, I think you're going to like this!" he yelled to Rumlow. Rumlow peeked his head out from the vehicle, giving Ariadne the first look she had gotten at his face since the events of the downfall of the hellicarriers.

"Well, well, well, darling. Look what we have here," Rumlow began, moving closer to Ari and running a hand along her face. Ari was trying her best to remain unphased, but she flinched as he touched her cheek, "Ah, yes. Not all of us remained quite as beautiful as you did, now did we sweetheart? Want a closer look at what your beloved Captain did to me? See what you've turned me into?" Rumlow asked, leaning in towards Ari's face until she could feel his hot, sour breath on her own.

"Leave her alone, Rumlow. She's not the one you have an issue with," Steve declared, taking his stance behind his former ally. Crossbones turned, taking a moment to get a good look at the man who had single handedly ruined his life.

"There you are, you son of a bitch. I've been waiting for this!" Rumlow stated, lunging at Steve, and throwing a punch that Steve barely dodged.

"Guys, I've got the weapon," Natasha added, "What's your 20?"

"Steve and Rumlow are going at it. We need everyone over here," Sam responded, flying towards the commotion and pulling Ari away from the fight. As the team stood to the side, they observed, hoping that they could find some way to help. It wasn't until Ari heard Rumlow mention Bucky that she realized how badly this fight could end, physically and emotionally.

"Sam, we've gotta get him out of there…" she said, turning to her teammate. As Sam began to run to the situation, pulling Redwing up to his command, Rumlow activated an explosive device, attempting to pull Steve down with him.

"STEVE!" Ari shouted, running towards him, only to be pulled back by Natasha so as to avoid any more potential losses to the team. Suddenly, the explosion was being contained, and the team noticed Wanda, struggling to control the force. In an attempt to pull it away from her team and save them from danger, she slightly moved the explosive, but quickly lost track of her power, sending the fireball soaring into a nearby building.

As the team stood at the ground, shocked by the destruction that had just been caused, they wondered where to go next. Ari remained hunched over in Natasha's hold, the two holding each other up as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened. As Ari made eye contact with Steve, acknowledging that he was okay, Steve struggled to get out any words. As Wanda collapsed to the ground, Sam began the fire and rescue efforts, trying their best to salvage anything from the firestorm that this day had suddenly become.

 **Hi, all!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the sequel to "From the Rubble"! This story is gonna follow our favorite team through the events of Civil War, and see just how much it tears apart the relationships of the team on the inside. As always, reviews are loved and appreciated!**

 **See you real soon!**

 **-C.**


End file.
